MotoGP Austria: Bagnaia planning ‘smart’ race

Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia will start the AustrianGP from second on the MotoGP grid after losing pole by just 0.024s.

The factory squad looked to be on for a one-two at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday afternoon as Jack Miller trailed the Silverstone winner by a tenth as the session drew to a close. And while Ducati power did eventually lock out the front row in its entirety, it was Gresini’s Enea Bastianini who swept through to claim his maiden premier class pole on last year’s Desmosedici.

Bagnaia, however, was pleased with the result after suffering a crash at turn nine with ten minutes left of FP4.

“I’m very, very happy about the job which we have done today because my team have done an incredible job to make possible to reuse the bike of the crash, that was my favourite of the two bikes,” the Italian acknowledged of his rollercoaster Saturday. “Was quite a surprise to start this weekend because I was struggling a lot at the start. Yesterday morning, I struggle a lot and also in FP2, was a bit better but till the FP4 I was struggling a lot. In the FP4 we did a good step in front that have help me a lot to be more constant and fast.

“After FP4 I said ‘Okay, now we can speak about to be in front of the group tomorrow for the race’ but then I crashed, so the only problem today was the crash.

“But then like I said my team have done an incredible job. I started the qualifying with the new rear tyre that was working strange because I didn’t feel great. I was going wide everywhere. So I finished the first attempt without a lap time because I also touched the green in my only lap.

“In the second one everything was okay, I started to push and I feel good, I feel good with it and dropping five-tenths compared this morning was a